QUICK NEWS, 1-27: PRES MAKES NEW ENERGY HAPPY; CLOSING WIND 2010 NUMBERS; MONEY & JOBS IN EFFICIENCY; TRANSMISSION QUESTIONS SOTU

PRES MAKES NEW ENERGY HAPPY
Clean energy backers enthused; Obama plan wins applause in Mass
Erin Allworth, January 27, 2011 (Boston Globe)

"President Obama’s challenge to the nation’s alternative energy sector during his State of the Union address was clear: 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, 80 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources by 2035, and — perhaps the most ambitious — an end to billions in tax breaks for oil companies…

"It was just the message…[New Energy advocates and business people] needed to hear, and one they hope will spur the government support that local companies need to expand, create jobs, and bring their technologies into widespread use…"

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"Energy and innovation were key elements of Obama’s speech, which focused on rebuilding the US economy. He compared the technological and economic challenges facing the nation’s energy sector to the late 1950s, when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite. That in turn spurred a massive investment in science, education, and research, culminating in the 1969 US landing on the moon…

"Just how the nation will reach Obama’s ambitious goals — and what that will mean for local clean energy companies — is still in question…"

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"Peter Rothstein, president of the New England Clean Energy Council, said abolishing oil subsidies can only help to boost clean technology…

"Representative Edward J. Markey…a ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said lawmakers and policy makers need to ensure that renewable energy is able to compete with fossil fuels such as oil and coal, which are still heavily subsidized by the government, and that ‘consumers are getting the cheapest, cleanest energy’…"


CLOSING WIND 2010 NUMBERS
U.S. wind energy industry finishes 2010 with half the installations of 2009, activity up in 2011, now cost-competitive with natural gas; Industry weathers latest boom-bust cycle as utilities move to lock in more wind power at favorable long-term rates
January 24, 2011 (American Wind Energy Association)

"America's wind industry built 5,115 megawatts of wind power last year, barely half of 2009's record pace, but entered 2011 with over 5,600 megawatts currently under construction - and with wind cost-competitive with natural gas for new electric generation, utilities are moving to lock in favorable rates…

"…3,195 megawatts (MW) of wind-powered electric generating capacity came online in the fourth quarter of 2010. That performance was below the 4,113 MW installed in the same period in 2009, but a leap from the third quarter of 2010, when only 670 MW were installed. The U.S. finished the year with a total of 5,115 MW of new wind power."

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"Buoyed by a one-year extension of the 1603 Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy in the final days of the 111th Congress, the industry entered the new year with over 5,600 MW of electric power currently under construction, well above the same time a year earlier. Further projects are expected to start up in time to meet the new construction deadline for the tax credit, now set to expire at the end of 2011. The industry is likely to finish 2011 ahead of 2010 numbers…

"Total U.S. wind capacity now stands at 40,180 MW, an increase in capacity of 15% over the start of 2010, AWEA reported today. For the first time, U.S. capacity fell second to China's; China now has 41,800 MW in operation, an increase of 62% in capacity over a year ago, according to a Jan. 13 report from the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association."

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"With uncertainty over national policies still holding back the U.S. industry, state targets for renewable energy continue to drive wind installations in many areas of the country…The top five states for cumulative wind energy capacity at the close of 2010 all have such state targets…[Texas (10,085 MW), Iowa (3,675 MW), California (3,177 MW), Minnesota (2,192 MW), Washington (2,105 MW)]…

"…Five more states, which generally began tapping their inexhaustible wind resources more recently than the leaders, showed growth rates above 100%. The list starts with Delaware and Maryland, which added their first utility-scale wind turbines in 2010 [and includes Idaho (+140%), South Dakota (+126%) and Arizona (+103%)]…"


MONEY & JOBS IN EFFICIENCY
Appliance and Equipment Standards: A Money Maker and Job Creator
January 26, 2011 (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy)

"National appliance energy efficiency standards for common household and business products generated about 340,000 jobs in 2010, or 0.2% of the nation’s jobs, according to …the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). The energy and related utility bill savings from standards will continue to contribute to a healthy economy over time, and in 2030, the number of jobs generated will increase to about 380,000 jobs—an amount about equal to the number of jobs in Delaware today…

"…Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards: A Money Maker and Job Creator estimates net employment and wage impacts of U.S appliance, equipment, and lighting efficiency standards. The standards contributing to the job creation include those put in place between 1987 and 2010, new standards and revisions DOE will complete by 2013, and consensus standards in pending legislation.

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"Appliance and equipment standards save consumers and businesses energy because the standards increase the average efficiency of new products relative to what the efficiency would have been without new or updated standards. As a result, consumers and businesses spend less money on utility bills. This moves money from the utility sector, with relatively few jobs per dollar of revenue, to other sectors that have higher jobs per dollar of revenue. As existing standards affect more product purchases, and as new standards take effect, the number of jobs generated will increase along with energy bill savings…"

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"These existing and new standards also are making a big contribution to U.S. efforts to reduce energy use, with savings growing to 6.1 quads a year in 2030, or roughly enough to meet the total energy needs of one-quarter of all U.S. households for a year. Standards cover a wide range of consumer and commercial products, ranging from refrigerators, to light bulbs, to commercial air conditioners, to industrial motors…

"In order to reach the level of employment estimated in the report, Congress must pass the consensus appliance standards contained in the Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreements Act (INCAAA) of 2010, a bill with broad support but not yet enacted into law. This agreement, negotiated by manufacturers and efficiency advocates, would provide market certainty for manufacturers and energy savings for consumers and would generate over 1.1 quadrillion BTUs of energy savings in 2030, about the annual energy use of the state of Oregon. In addition, DOE must follow through on scheduled updates to existing standards…"


TRANSMISSION QUESTIONS SOTU
Obama’s SOTU: A Trifecta for Electric Transmission
January 26, 2011 (WIRES)

"…President Obama identified as among the Administration's top priorities the strengthening of America's infrastructure, the need to move aggressively to promote clean energy resources, and making government regulations and resources more efficient and streamlined."

[James Hoecker, Counsel, WIRES/former Chair, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] "In my opinion, this is precisely what we in the electric transmission sector have been talking about…Expanding the transmission grid is essential to tapping America's diverse energy resources. Transmission is critical infrastructure, although – for the third year in a row – the White House has focused only on railroads, highways, and the Internet. Nothing is more critical to the economy than reliable and economic supplies of electricity."

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"In his address, the President issued these challenges…[1] ‘…join me in setting a new goal: by 2035, 80 percent of America's electricity will come from clean energy sources…[2] …become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015…[3] Our infrastructure used to be the best . . . [But] when our own engineers graded our nation's infrastructure, they gave us a 'D'…"

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[James Hoecker, Counsel, WIRES/former Chair, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] "Clean energy – whether wind, solar power, other clean sources of generation, or even a pervasive deployment of electric vehicles –cannot happen without a stronger grid. I can only hope the Administration understands that reality."

[James Hoecker, Counsel, WIRES/former Chair, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] "If the President thinks that jurisdiction over salmon is confusing, he should try planning, licensing, and constructing an upgrade to the high voltage energy delivery system…If there ever was a case for reforming the planning, siting, and cost recovery of energy infrastructure, it is for electric transmission. In this instance, private capital is available and ready to take the lead once a greater degree of regulatory certainty is provided. The President has hit the right notes…"